In automotive applications, engine cooling is generally accomplished by means of a fan powered either by an electric motor or belt driven from the main drive shaft of the engine and operative to move air across coils of a radiator. Conventional electric motor applications require that the motor have a shaft extending from the motor on which a fan is mounted. The motor is supported in the shroud surrounding the fan. The axial length of the motor and the fan equals the length of the motor plus the length of the fan hub. As the design of automobiles changes, the amount of space in the engine compartment generally decreases and the requirement for more compact fan assemblies as respects axial length is placed upon the cooling engineer. Fan hub length has been reduced and fan designs have approached their limit in reducing axial length.